


Gain

by Ephy



Series: Street rat [9]
Category: Batman (Comics), Superman (Comics)
Genre: Implied/Referenced Underage Prostitution, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-24
Updated: 2014-07-24
Packaged: 2018-02-10 06:55:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2015358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ephy/pseuds/Ephy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kal turned from the window and smiled.<br/>“So, Bruce. Why did you ask me to come, exactly?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gain

**Author's Note:**

> So, someone asked me how Bruce had reacted to Jason’s criticism of his social status in Waste. Incidentally, I wanted my next chapter to be about Kal. I just intended to write down some lines about how Bruce would complain to Kal about Jason’s behaviour then… Well.  
> I hope you’ll enjoy!

Kal turned from the window and smiled.

“So, Bruce. Why did you ask me to come, exactly?”

Sometimes, that man’s arrogance got really annoying, Bruce decided. No one knew what the Batman thought.

That he indeed didn’t ask him to come just for small talk was beside the point.

“I’m worried about Robin.”

He never called Jason “Robin” and they both knew that. Especially in the manor, with both of them dressed as civilians. Well. Bruce dressed in a nice suit that would fool any journalist who might break down the door and get past Alfred to stumble upon them. Kal wore jeans and an actually fitting shirt and no glasses. Though people wouldn’t exactly label him as Superman on sight, they also wouldn’t recognize Clark.

Somehow, the manor became the only place besides the Kent’s farm where Kal could actually dress like himself.

Which wasn’t the point either.

“Robin, mh?”

And of course Kal would notice. Calling him Robin made it official; any other hero would now be worried about whatever happened. Kal, however, wasn’t being fooled.

Bruce didn’t fight back his sigh.

“He finds high society gala to be a waste of food and money.”

Kal waited. How did he always manage to know when Bruce was getting directly to the point and when he wasn’t? It was unnerving.

Bruce waited too, just to see if Kal would break the silence. Once, he’d waited for three weeks. Of course, they’d talked about other things in the meantime and both went back to their lives, before Bruce had finally yielded and continued the conversation.

Un-ner-ving.

“He started flirting with a man.”

Kal frowned.

“When you say flirting…”

“I mean if they’d been alone, he would have fallen to his knees and opened the man’s pants to…”

“Alright, alright!” Kal interrupted him, blushing slightly.

Well, at least, it was easy to embarrass him.

Bruce _looked_ at him, his eyes carrying the weight of disapproval. “This isn’t a joke“, he didn’t say. He didn’t have to: embarrassing Kal _was_ easy.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean… But. That kind of flirt?”

Bruce never quite admitted where Jason’s record had lain. Perhaps was it time to.

Perhaps not. It was Jason’s secret. The kid didn’t like Kal, he wouldn’t want him to know. Or would want to be there to see his shocked face. Or… Who knew, exactly, what Jason thought?

Certainly not Bruce.

He was so different than Dick.

“Bruce?”

“Jason always was provocative”, Bruce said in his professional voice, factual. “I think he wanted to see if he could. And how I would react. Perhaps to see if the man would have dared, too.”

“It’s not something he can just _do_ , Bruce!”

Bruce pursed his lips. Kal didn’t have all the relevant information.

Jason would be so mad if he told him.

“It wasn’t his intention to make me angry.”

“He was trying to provoke a man! That it wasn’t into a fight – for once – doesn’t make it any less problematic. Jason doesn’t seem to manage to behave properly, and…”

“He was a child prostitute.”

That broke Kal’s monolog off.

“He what!?” But, already, Kal was shaking his head. “Christ, that does explain some of his attitude.”

Then he went back to silence. There wasn’t much someone like Kal could say after learning something like that. He was horrified, disgusted, a bit pitying perhaps. And he didn’t know what to say.

“I don’t know how to handle this”, Bruce heard himself admit.

“I can’t give you any insight”, Kal sighed. “As you well know. Me having some ethics doesn’t mean I have an instantaneous answer to all ethical problems, Bruce.”

Bruce winced. _Touché_.

“I tried to make him understand he should stop doing that. But he doesn’t… get why. He wouldn’t admit it hurts him.”

Putting it into word made Bruce think perhaps Jason did it _because_ it hurt him – but didn’t break him. To prove himself he was able to take it.

Perhaps Jason did it hoping the men would push him away. To gain back a little faith in human beings.

He must have looked frustrated because Kal put a hand on his shoulder.

“It would be hard on anybody.” Then he frowned and removed his hand. “And you didn’t need me to tell you that. If you knew it even before taking him in… I know you were lonely after Dick left, Bruce, but…” Only _Kal_ would dare mentioning Dick to him so casually. “ _Why_ did you take him in?”

Bruce drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair, twice. Kal winced.

“I mean, he’s… _mean_. He’s young, I know, he might still change, but…”

“You think I should have let a prostitute child in the streets?”

Kal rolled his eyes.

“Would you please stop being insulting? But you could have sent him to the Martha Wayne foundation, instead.”

Fair enough.

“Any kid isn’t built to be Robin. You know that. Dick managed to put a smile on your face. Jason is something else entirely, and…”

“He would have become a criminal, had I not taken him in.”

“Exactly! That’s why I don’t understand why you would…”

Kal interrupted himself when he understood Bruce hadn’t agreed with him, but merely answered his question.

“ _That_ is why?”

“It would have been a waste. Jason is talented.”

“There are a _lot_ of talented young men around!”

Bruce shook his head sharply, just once. Why didn’t Kal understand they didn’t see the same person when they looked at Jason? Kal saw the potential _criminal_. Bruce only saw the _potential_.

And Jason was… a gothamite. He _oozed_ Gotham from every pore. His accent, his attitude, his anger… and yet, he loved the city. He loved it like Dick never had. Oh, Dick had wanted to defend its people! But Dick would have defended anyone. He didn’t get why Gotham was important, he would have done the same everywhere.

For Jason, Gotham was important by itself.

Moreover, for a potential criminal, he was quite the natural protector. Jason hated bullies. Even though he found it hard to trust adults, he would have done anything to stop an injustice from happening. And he was great with kids, or anyone he didn’t label as either threatening or pitiful.

Alright, maybe it wasn’t a _lot_ of people, but…

“Bruce.”

Bruce looked at Kal, arching an eyebrow. Kal sighed.

“You do realize you must fit the type of his previous… clients, don’t you? As far as ‘rich men who can do anything they like’ go… He might act like that with you too.”

“I wouldn’t let him.”

Kal nodded. Silence.

“I wasn’t telling you to give him away _now_ , you know?”

“You were saying he isn’t worthy of being Robin.”

Kal jumped, offended.

“That isn’t what I…”

“That’s exactly what you were saying. You don’t like him.”

Kal crossed his arms on his chest.

“Maybe I don’t. But I’m not the one getting to decide, am I? Besides, he _is_ Robin, now.”

Which was exactly what Bruce had been saying all along. That didn’t escape Kal, who snorted.

“So? What are you going to do with him?”

Bruce relaxed. The answer had been there all along, after all.

“Robin.”

**Author's Note:**

> Ok so once again, exactly like about Dick… I do love Clark. He’s a good man with a good heart at the right place. Now, when Jason was about 14 and starting being Robin, and Dick about 19 having just left, I’d give Bruce perhaps 29 and Clark maybe 25. It’s young for someone with so many responsibilities.  
> And my Jason, let’s be clear, is a pain in the ass. He’s even more so with Kal – but perhaps I’ll write some other oneshot to show exactly how much those two don’t get along.  
> Please review if you’ve read anything you like! ;) (or even if you didn’t!)


End file.
